System for taking a gas sample able to contain particles of suspended materials

ABSTRACT

The sampling system of the invention includes a column comprising a first separator associated with a first collector so as to extract particles whose diameter is larger than a first diameter, and a second separator associated with a second collector which eliminates the finest particles and concentrates the other particles in the gas flow sucked up by the suction pipe of an analysis device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention concerns a system for taking a gas sample able to contain suspended materials, such as particles.

[0003] It applies in particular, but not exclusively, to the analysis of gas composition and/or to counting of particles present in this composition via a spectrographic analysis of the radiation produced by flame of a gas mixture including said composition.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] It is known that this type of analysis is conducted by using a flame spectrophotometer including a burner in which combustion is provoked of a gas mixture flow comprising the gas composition to be analysed (for example ambient air) and hydrogen or other oxygen carrier so as to embody a flame whose light emissions are decomposable in a light spectrum whose spectrum lines are analysed so as to determine the nature and concentration of the sought-after elements.

[0006] The gas mixture flow is generated by creating a partial vacuum in the outlet circuit of the burner, for example by means of a turbine, sop as to provoke at the level of an intake circuit a sucking up of the gas composition to be sampled.

[0007] The advantage of this type of device resides in particular in that it makes it possible to conduct, not only the analysis of the gas composition, but also to determine the composition and the numeration of particles (for example bacteria or dust) present in this composition.

[0008] In fact on burning, these particles generate light impulses (flash) of limited duration able to count so as to obtain the number of particles per unit of volume of the gas composition to be analysed.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0009] More particularly, the object of the invention is to embody a system for sampling a gas composition able to be connected to the suction nozzle of a device of said type so as to be able to capture aerosols suspended in the composition and which is able to select the particles according to their shape and/or dimensions so as to only treat those particles whose size corresponds to the sought-after objects

[0010] The object of the invention is also to embody a system of this type which makes it possible to conduct an omnidirectional sampling and which is designed so as to prevent the entering of projections projections (mud, pebbles) and insects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] According to the invention, so as to reach this result, the sampling system consists of a tubular column, preferably cylindrical, able to be connected via one of its extremities to the suction pipe of an analysis device and ending on the other side by a sampling head having a suction orifice opening outwardly.

[0012] According to the invention, said column successively includes starting from the head a first impact separator associated with a first collector so as to extract the particles whose diameter is greater than a first cut-off diameter and a second impact separator associated with a second collector which eliminates the finest particles and concentrates in the gas flow sucked up by the analysis device those particles whose diameter is greater than the cut-off diameter of this second impact separator.

[0013] Advantageously, the sampling head could include a coaxial cap to the column and having concavity orientated towards the column, this cap delimiting with a flange provided at the extremity of the column an annular space opening radially outwardly.

[0014] This annular space could advantageously have inside a radial plane an appropriate profile (for example in the shape of a chicane) so as to prevent the penetration of unwanted objects or material by constituting a light trap whilst favouring the flow of the gas stream containing the particles to be analysed and/or be counted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] There now follows a non-restrictive example of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings on which:

[0016]FIG. 1 diagrammatically represents a spectrophotometer equipped with a sampling system according to the invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is an axial cutaway view of the sampling system shown on FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] In the example shown on FIG. 1, the spectrophotometer includes a burner 1 comprising two coaxial tubular combustion chambers axially offset with respect to each other, namely:

[0019] An external combustion chamber 2 closed on one side by a bottom 3 and on the other side by a covering cap 4 having a coaxial circular opening in which a lens 5 is mounted, this combustion chamber 2 having a lateral outlet circuit 6 connected to an outlet circuit 7 fitted with a turbine 8 activated by a motor, and

[0020] An internal combustion chamber 10 having a diameter smaller than the external combustion chamber 2 and being engaged in the latter through an orifice provided in the bottom 3.

[0021] The chamber 10 can be made of a material including a reactive element. It opens inside the external chamber 2 opposite the lens 5 and at a specific distance from the latter. It is closed on the other side outside the chamber 2 by a bottom 12 on which a coaxial mixing nozzle 13 is mounted which extends over a fraction of the length of the chamber 10 and is connected firstly to a section pipe 14 for the gas to be analysed (which traverses the bottom 12), and secondly to a hydrogen injection pipe 15 which radially traverses the longitudinal wall of the chamber 10.

[0022] The functioning of this spectrophotometer is then the following:

[0023] The two chambers 2,10 are placed in a partial vacuum by the turbine 8 so as to provoke a sucking up of the gas to be analysed in the mixing nozzle

[0024] Inside the nozzle 13, the flow of gas sucked up mixed with the injected hydrogen flow.

[0025] The difference between the outlet orifice of the nozzle 13 and the outlet orifice of the internal chamber 10 is calculated so that the mixture on fire leaving the nozzle 13 by producing a first flame F₁ sweeps the internal surface of the internal chamber 10 and reacts with the material of the latter inside a reactive zone of limited length.

[0026] Furthermore, this gas mixture receives a flow of air originating from calibrated orifices 17 provided in the bottom 12 of the chamber 10 around the mixing nozzle 13.

[0027] By means of this additional air, a second combustion is obtained at the outlet of the chamber 10, this second combustion generating a flame F₂ able to emit a light characteristic of the sought-after element which has reacted with the material of the internal wall of the internal chamber 10.

[0028] This light is then focussed by the lens 5 on an optoelectronic cell 18, possibly by means of a rotating filtering of a flame spectrometric device.

[0029] In accordance with invention, the intake pipe is connected to a sampling system 20 including a cylindrical tubular column 21 having one extremity being closed by a bottom 22 fitted with an orifice 23 to which the suction pipe 14 is connected, whereas the other extremity is fitted with an omnidirectional sampling head 24.

[0030] In this example, the sampling head 24 is composed of a flared cap 25 and a flange 26 closed on the extremity of the column 21 and comprising an axial protuberance 27 which slightly extends the flange 26 and whose profile inside an axial half-plane has an incurved shape 28 staring from the flange 26 approximately at ⅔rds of its width and which extends approximately exponentially up to a point 29 situated at a distance from the axis XX′ of the column less than the radius of its internal cylindrical volume.

[0031] The circular edge of the protuberance 28 (location of points 29) is connected to the internal cylindrical surface of the column 21 by means of a conical portion 30 moving by bulging in the direction of the bottom 22.

[0032] The cap 25 includes a bulged from coaxial to the column and having inside an axial half-plane an exponential form which delimits with the exponential form of the protuberance a space E moving which gradually widens as it approaches the axis XX′ of the column 21.

[0033] This bulged cap 25 outwardly includes an annular radial shoulder 31 extending parallel to the portion of the flange 26 which goes past the protuberance 27, this forming with the latter an omnidirectional annular orifice OP for sampling the gas composition to be analysed which extends along a radial plane of symmetry.

[0034] Advantageously, at the level of its joining point with the flange 26, the protuberance 27 extends axially, that is perpendicular to the radial plane of symmetry of the orifice OP. By means of this arrangement, an impact separator is obtained which ensures that projections of undesired materials are unable to penetrate inside the column 21 by disturbing the functioning of the sampling system and/or the analysis device.

[0035] Moreover, the cap 25 comprises a coaxial conical form 33 extending from the central region of its concave face by delimiting with the conical portion 30 of the protuberance 27 a space widening towards the bottom of the column.

[0036] The column 21 includes two successive separators, namely a first separator S₁ comprising an impact separator situated in the central portion of the column, and a second separator S₂ comprising a virtual impact separator situated close to the bottom 22.

[0037] The first separator S₁ introduces a truncated deflector 34 which reduces the passage section of the cylindrical column 21 in the direction of the bottom 22. This deflector 34 is extended by an axial shoulder 35 orientated towards the bottom 22. This shoulder 35 defines a cylindrical axial passage with a small diameter below which and at a predetermined distance an impact separator I₁ is placed.

[0038] This impact separator I₁ is composed of a coaxial cylindrical collector 36 having the same diameter as the shoulder 35. This collector 36 contains a flared impact head 37 borne by a coaxial rod 38, the diameter of the head 37 being larger than that of the rod 38.

[0039] The head 37 is situated below the orifice of the collector 36 which comprises above the head 37 a slight bore narrowing.

[0040] The second separator S₂ also introduces a conical deflector 39 which reduces the passage section of the column 21 in the direction of the bottom 22 and which delimits with the lower portion of the column 21 an annular concavity CA₁ orientated towards the bottom 22.

[0041] This deflector 39 cooperates with a second coaxial deflector 40 situated above and which with the column 21 delimits an annular concavity CA₂ orientated towards the sampling head 24.

[0042] This deflector 40 delimits around the central axis of the column 21 a central passage 41 widening towards the bottom and communicating with the suction pipe 14 of the spectrophotometric device.

[0043] The two concavities CA₁, CA₂ constitute an annular extraction chamber opening towards the axis of the column 21 via an annular orifice.

[0044] This extraction chamber is connected to suction means, for example a suction stage 8′ of the turbine 8.

[0045] The functioning of the suction system is thus the following:

[0046] The suction generated by the turbine 8 is such that the flow sucked up by the stage 8′ is about 90% of the flow circulating in, the column (par example, between 12 and 18 l/min), whereas the suction pipe flow 14 only represents 10% (par example, between 1, 3 and 2 l/min).

[0047] Under the effect of this suction, an omnidirectional sampling of gas charged with particles is obtained through the sampling orifice OP of the head 24.

[0048] On FIG. 2, the block B₁ diagrammatically shows particles of various diameters, the largest (pebbles or insects) stopping on the axial form of the protuberance 27 and are rejected outside. The particles of smaller diameter (block B₂) are driven by the gas flow in the sinuous path of the head 24 and are concentrated towards the axis XX′ of the column 21 on leaving this path by means in particular of the conical portion 33. The particular form of the sinuous path borrowed by the gas forms a light trap to ensure that the optical detector of the analysis device is not blinded by daylight.

[0049] On passage at the level of the separator S₁, the particles are first of all concentrated by the deflector 34 and then the finest particles are sucked up into the annular passage between the column 21 and the collector 36.

[0050] The largest particles larger than the cutoff diameter φC₁ of the impact separator continue their axial path so as to stop on the head 37 and be stored in the collector 36 (the head 37 then acting a role similar to that of a valve).

[0051] The gas flow whose largest particles have been extracted (block B₃) are again recentered by the deflector 39, whereas the extremely fine particles (smaller than the cutoff diameter φC₂ of the impact separator) (block B₄) are sucked up by the vacuum stage 8′. The rest of the particles (block B₅) whose diameter φC₃ is between the cutoff diameters φC₁ and φC₂ is sucked up by the suction pipe of the analysis device.

[0052] Of course, the shapes and dimensions of this sampling system could be adapted so that the diameters of the sample particles correspond to those of the particles it is desired to analyse. 

1. System for taking a gas sample likely to contain particles of suspended materials for which it is desired to count and/or be analysed by means of an analysis device including a pipe for sucking up said sample, this system comprising a tubular column able to be connected via one of its extremities to said suction pipe and ending on the other side by a sampling head; wherein said column successively includes starting from the head a first separator associated with the first collector so as to extract the particles whose diameter is greater than a first cutoff diameter, and a second separator associated with a second collector which eliminates the finest particles whose diameter is smaller than a second cutoff diameter and concentrate in the gas flow sucked up by said suction pipe the particles whose diameter is larger than this second cutoff diameter.
 2. System according to claim 1, wherein the sampling head includes a cap coaxial to the column and with concavity orientated towards the column, this cap delimiting with a flange provided at the extremity of the column an annular space opening radially externally.
 3. System according to claim 2, wherein said annular space has inside a radial plane a suitable profile (for example in the shape of a chicane) so as to prevent the penetration of projection of unwanted materials or objects, thus constituting a light trap.
 4. System according to claim 3, wherein said flange is partially extended by an axial protuberance whose profile in an axial plane has an incurved shape extending exponentially up to a point situated at a distance from the axis of the column smaller than the radius of its internal cylindrical volume, the circular edge of the protuberance situated at the level of said point being connected to the cylindrical surface of the column by means of a conical portion widening in the direction of the bottom.
 5. System according to claim 4, wherein the cap includes a bulged form coaxial to the column and having inside an axial half-plane an exponential form which delimits with the exponential form of the protuberance a space widening gradually as it approaches the axis of the column.
 6. System according to claim 5, wherein said cap externally includes an annular radial shoulder extending parallel to one portion of the flange which goes past the protuberance, thus forming with the latter an omnidirectional sampling annular orifice.
 7. System according to claim 6, wherein at the level of its joining point with the flange the protuberance extends axially.
 8. System according to claim 4, wherein said cap includes a coaxial conical form which delimits with the conical portion of the protuberance widening towards the bottom of the column.
 9. System according to claim 1, wherein the first separator includes a truncated deflector fitted with an axial shoulder, this deflector reducing the passage section of the column in the direction of the bottom and a coaxial cylindrical collector situated below said shoulder and at predetermined distance from the latter, this collector containing a bulged impact head borne by a coaxial rod.
 10. System according to claim 9, wherein said head of the impact separator is situated below the orifice of the collector which comprises above the head a slight bore narrowing.
 11. System according to claim 1, wherein the second separator introduces firstly a first conical deflector which reduces the passage section of the column in the direction of the bottom and with delimits with the lower portion of the column a concavity orientated towards the bottom, and secondly a second coaxial deflector situated below the first which delimits with the column a concavity orientated towards the sampling head, this deflector delimiting around the central axis of the column a central passage widening towards the bottom in communication with said suction pipe, in that the tow concavities constitute an extraction chamber opening towards the axis of the column by an annular orifice, and wherein this extraction chamber is connected to suction means. 